Adam Dennehey WAFU manager
One recurring theme over the last couple of seasons has been Nani’s future. Has the Portuguese winger done enough to warrant staying at Manchester United? Has he reached his peak? Has Sir Alex Ferguson got any patience left for him?
Those questions and many more have been asked pretty much for the last couple of years as Nani has struggled to be consistent. Good performances haven’t turned into good spells and good spells have just been that, good spells. They lasted long enough for doubts about Nani’s long-term ability to go away.
Nani’s first season at United was in one word…promising. He ended the year with a Premier League and Champions League double. He delivered in big-games and bar one moment of madness that saw him dismissed at home against West Ham – when he head-butted Lucas Neill (he wouldn’t be the first!) – he rarely put a foot wrong.
His second season was somewhat of a disaster as it never got going despite some great goals. However after a poor start to the 2009/10 season he was arguably United’s player of the season after the turn of the year and he started the following season well, becoming one of the first-names on Sir Alex’s team-sheet.
However he ended the 2010/11 season poorly and despite some flashes of brilliance at the start and end of last season, it would be fair to say that Old Trafford hasn’t seen the best of Nani for quite some time.
This year he’s suffered with injuries and a loss of form worse than his fellow winger Antonio Valencia. However on his day he still remains a fantastic player.
Last Sunday against Arsenal Nani made his first league start for United since February. He was one of United’s better performers and looked bright early on, unlike some of his team-mates who couldn’t keep up with Arsenal’s frantic opening.
The Emirates of course was the scene of one of Nani’s finest performances for the club. Back in January three years ago, Nani was just starting to come into the form that would see him have a stellar 2010. He scored a stunning chip and was beginning to play with the confidence that he first showed when he signed for the club.
Last week he looked sharp and got in some excellent positions both on/off the ball. Sir Alex has once again claimed that Nani won’t be leaving the club, but there’s no smoke without fire and with the arrival of Wilfried Zaha perhaps it’s time for Nani to take a fresh challenge. He wouldn’t be short of suitors and at 26 still has a decade of playing-time ahead of him. Sadly for him it looks as if his time at Old Trafford may well be up.
By Adam Dennehey @ADennehey87
Anybody who watched Nani play at Arsenal before Fergie UNDESERVEDLY took him off after an hour, could see Nani was MILES better at getting QUALITY balls into the box, which fell straight onto the heads or at feet of our strikers who should have scored from at least 2 or 3 of the Nani passes. Valencia on the other hand never beat the last opposition defender, and invariably hit his balls far too long that they missed our strikers, and this is always happening with Valencia. I am sick of United fans giving Nani a rough deal, he is a very good and GIFTED player, with more to his all round game than Valencia or Young, and Nani was playing very well in the CL return leg before again he was undeservedly given a red card when he hadn't touched the RM player who despicably had Nani red carded by feining injury. If Fergie and United fans gave Nani the love he deserves, he would do well more consistently for them. There are other players who should go before Nani, notably Welbeck – the supposed striker who can't score if his life depended on it. Rant over lol.